A vote for more boom times

The ghosts of Angola's civil war have finally been exorcised. The country's historic September 2008 legislative elections were held in an atmosphere of calm, despite some irregularities and complaints. 

A soldier’s discipline
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is on course to win an increased majority in the next legislative elections due in October 2009. Factionalism within the BDP has been significantly reduced since former vice-president Ian Khama succeeded Festus Mogae as head of state in a smooth transition in April 2008.

Legislative Loggerheads

Even if the political scene has a tendency towards the volatile, medium-term economic prospects for the mountain kingdom are good. Though GDP growth fell to 4.9% in 2007 after spiking up to 7.2% in 2006, the reinvigoration of the textile industry underlies forecasts that growth can be maintained at around 5.5% until 2010.

Tests for the new strategy
Poverty reduction and the fight to keep inflation in single figures will be the dominant policy priorities for President Marc Ravalomanana in 2009. This will be a key year for testing the capacity of his liberal economic strategy to move beyond business promotion and deliver practical development results in a country marked by low rural incomes and widespread deprivation.

Bingu's electoral gamble
As Malawi enters an election year in 2009, the contrast between its dysfunctional politics and its newly-booming economic performance provides an unfamiliar edge to debates about the country's future. The banks and the giant holding companies (which are the relics of former President Hastings Banda's parastatal monopolies) have been making record profits.

Four-pillar strength

Thanks to its tradition of well-structured responses to global market realities, Mauritius has managed to maintain a positive economic outlook right up until the most recent talk of a global recession, which is one eventuality that the country cannot easily withstand; the island economy's tourism and textiles markets would almost certainly be victims.

Frelimo's tightening noose
The coming year will see President Armando Guebuza campaigning for a second term after the country has been marked by substantial changes to political and economic management, away from liberalism and towards tighter control by the ruling Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo).

Sam tries to play it again
In uncanny reflection of the succession crisis at the top of South Africa's liberation movement-cum-ruling party, Namibia is facing uncertainty about who will lead it through its late-2009 elections.

Reforms catch up on paradise
President James Michel promised a business friendly revolution upon coming into power in 2004, but not much has changed for the better since then.

Bad time for a messy divorce

Certainly 2009 will be an historic election year, not just the third of the democratic era but also a harbinger of future political dispensations and directions in Africa’s leading economic powerhouse....

A little less fun to be king
Swaziland faces big challenges on the economic and political fronts. Elections in 2008 did little to stabilise the kingdom's economic decline or to improve the international reputation of its monarchical government

Players look to the next round
Politics will overshadow key economic developments in 2009. Despite Vice-President Rupiah Bwezani Banda’s victory in the battle to succeed the late President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, he will serve for only two years.

The long and winding road
The end of the Southern African winter brought no guarantee of comfort to Zimbabweans buffeted by their country’s political tempest and its still-accelerating economic fallout.